These bewildered people were undergoing a fierce struggle in their hearts.

In terms of strength, they were certainly inclined to choose the Masked Man. After all, he was very powerful and on the brink of obtaining the Feather Spirit Palace's inheritance, promising a boundless future. By following the Masked Man, they could undoubtedly reap many benefits.

However, these people were, after all, descendants of the Feather Clan. It could be said that they were raised by the Ye Family, and betraying them at this juncture seemed utterly unjustifiable.

So, on how to choose, these people were genuinely at a loss for a decision.

Yet Ye Xingjun paid no heed to them. Relying on his strength, he ignored the people around him and fully focused on assaulting Shariel.

In his view, Shariel was the leader of these people, who were beguiled by him and therefore betrayed the Feather Clan. Thus, killing Shariel would resolve everything.

Facing the thrusting sword of Shariel, he didn't flinch, instead throwing a punch directly.

Ye Xingjun's strength was formidable, having cultivated to such a level that his physical body was extremely robust. A physical body countering a weapon was no challenge. Even against someone of equal strength, he could use his physical body to counter the opponent's weapon.

As for Shariel, Ye Xingjun didn't regard him as a threat. So, he barely considered his longsword a concern.

However, when his fist collided with the longsword, Ye Xingjun realized he had made a grave mistake.

His fist neither shattered nor deflected the longsword; on the contrary, the sword pierced his Protective Gang Qi. Cutting through his mighty power, it directly penetrated his fist.

At the moment the longsword pierced his fist, Ye Xingjun's expression changed. He felt a surge of violent power rapidly entering his body through the sword.

Despite being seasoned and quick to react, Ye Xingjun sensed something amiss and quickly withdrew, pulling the sword out.

Even so, he reacted a moment too late; the power from the longsword exploded in his fist. A massive force shattered his entire right arm, with several bones fractured. Ye Xingjun's whole body suffered severe injuries, covered in numerous wounds, looking utterly miserable.

Suppressing a groan, Ye Xingjun endured the excruciating pain, gritting his teeth and staring at the longsword in Shariel's hand. Previously, he hadn't paid much attention to the sword, thinking it was just an ordinary weapon.

But now, this single strike revealed the terrifying prowess of the sword, far beyond his expectations.

The power of that strike was shockingly terrifying. If he hadn't withdrawn quickly, allowing that power to continue flooding his body, he might have lost his life!

"You... is this the Nine Extermination Divine Sword!?" Ye Xingjun exclaimed in shock.

Shariel appeared bewildered, clearly unaware of what the Nine Extermination Divine Sword was and what his sword's name might be.

"This is a magic artifact bestowed by the Masked Supreme One!" Shariel said with a triumphant smile. "How about it? Impressive, isn't it?"

Ye Xingjun frowned, staring at the sword for a moment before saying in a deep voice, "Indeed, it's the Nine Extermination Divine Sword. To think, the divine sword, missing for thousands of years in legend, would appear here! Haha, what would the people of the Heavenly Realm think if they knew about this?"

Su Yang, listening by the side, suddenly had a thought.

The Nine Extermination Divine Sword, related to the Heavenly Realm?

He couldn't help but think of the Masked Man, whom he had been trying to figure out the identity of all along.

Now it seemed, with the divine sword vanished for millennia from the Heavenly Realm in his hands, did this mean he had some connection with the Heavenly Realm?

"The Nine Extermination Divine Sword!" A glint shone in Shariel's eyes. "The name sounds good, but you're not a god, killing you is boring."

Ye Xingjun's expression turned icy. "Don't think just because you have the Nine Extermination Divine Sword, you can do whatever you want. I was just unprepared earlier; do you really think I'm not your match?"

"Heh..." Shariel sneered, "Whether you're my match is another thing, but at the very least, look around and see how many people are with me. Do you think you alone can break through our encirclement and enter the palace?"

Looking at the people by Shariel's side, Ye Xingjun burst into fury: "You dare aid the evildoer, do you intend to betray my Ye Family, betray the Feather Clan!"

The people kept silent, while Shariel sneered, "I already told you, stop over-exaggerating. You might not be truly from the Ye Family, nor do you represent the Feather Clan!"

"Ah!" Ye Xingjun roared in anger, suddenly turning to the still bewildered masses, shouting: "What are you all standing there for? Kill them all at once!"

The people glanced at each other in puzzlement, still indecisive.

"My Ye Family, my Feather Clan, has invested so much in training you. Is this how you repay us?" Ye Xingjun shouted. "Are you going to betray the Ye Family and the Feather Clan like them?"

Hearing this, some resolve formed among them. A few stepped forward, declaring firmly, "We will never betray the Ye Family, nor the Feather Clan!"

"Very good!" Ye Xingjun was overjoyed, gesturing grandly: "Then show me proof!"

These people looked at Shariel's group and walked towards them, a leading figure boldly stating, "Shariel, step aside immediately, bring your people to kneel and apologize to Young Master Ye, perhaps he will spare you!"

"Are you all insane?" Shariel yelled in fury, "The Masked Master is about to obtain the Feather Spirit Palace's inheritance. Once he has it, he'll be invincible across the Nine Realms. By then, even the Feather Realm will be at his feet. By staying with him, you'll stand above the Nine Realms. At this moment, you're about to pledge loyalty to the worthless Young Master Ye and oppose the Masked Master? Hmph, is there any sense to this? Once the Masked Master comes out, do you think he'll treat you all kindly? Do you think you'll have any chance to survive?"

Exchanging glances, the leader of the group coldly retorted, "Shariel, don't try to scare us with the Masked Master. We're grateful to the Feather Clan, and it's the Ye Family that raised us. It's only right for us to be loyal to the Ye Family and the Feather Clan. If one betrays their benefactor out of fear of others' strength, what sets one apart from beasts?"